


The Unintended Beginning

by novarose122001



Category: TUGS (TV), Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate History, Alternate Universe - Human, Ancient History, Family History, Forests, Giant/Tiny, Giants, Horror, Human, Mystery, Mythology - Freeform, Paranoid, TINY - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29118750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novarose122001/pseuds/novarose122001
Summary: It has been years since the incident and all humans have been evacuated from the surface to hide away from the danger.All, except for a small human female... who went through an unexpected adventure, after an encounter.
Kudos: 8





	1. Caught

Stephanie always knew she was the only human on the Surface.

Since her parents unexpectedly died from an unknown cause when she was only a baby, her foster parents took her in after the humans disappeared, taking her into a house in the middle of the woods where no one could find them.

Not even the giants themselves.

After escaping from the cause, they lived together for six years, before the foster parents had died from a disease when she was only six years old.

After that, she was the only one alive and  _ terrified  _ for her life.

‘Beware of the giants that lurk in the shadows, Stephanie,’ her foster-father would tell her every time as they left to gather food for storage. ‘They will capture you and make you of their own, refusing to give you any freedom once you are in their grasp.’

‘Always lock the door, lock the windows, and do nothing during our travels.’ Her foster-mother would add after the father warned her. ‘And never, ever, ever, go into the woods. The giants always live there more than in the cities.’

Stephanie did as her deceased foster parents told her to do every time they went gathering food from the stores, keep her door barred, have the windows locked, and do minor things inside her two-story-tall house to keep a low profile from being discovered.

Since her foster parents only gave her a little food during the stay, Stephanie was rarely fed but kept the food to last long without having to go outside.

She did not mind being skinny since it was easier for her to run away from giants if they saw her.

To her foster-parents, they believed that the skinny you are, the harder it makes for them to catch.

So, she followed their belief and continued with their idea.

After staying in her home after her foster parents passed away, Stephanie, one day, decided that it would be enough of hiding, deciding that one day of being outside for a little would not hurt that much.

So, in that early morning, Stephanie checked if everything was safe after deciding that this peaceful day would be enough, peeking through the curtains and looking through areas where giants might look through.

Once everything was checked and looked safe, Stephanie went to the balcony, opened the door carefully, poked her head out slightly, and glanced around.

She double-checked for any lurking giants around before she carelessly walked out into the open.

Stephanie was a twenty-year-old young female woman with a fit appearance but was short compared to others.

She has long straight brown hair, fair skin, and has heterochromia, so her left eye is blue as the other is hazelnut.

Stephanie wears an oversized cameo blue sweater in peacock, sky, white, dark blue, and the hems are in a frost blue color that reaches down to her hips.

She also wore rectangular dark blue and black glasses and blue jeans with white and light pink shoes and white shoelaces.

In one of her pockets, Stephanie carried a pocket knife with her. 

If a giant came out of the forest to eat her or kill her, she would use the knife to attack back and return to safety.

After double-checking, Stephanie slowly inched herself outside and quietly closed the door behind her back, still not feeling safe to make any noises to attract any attention for creatures.

Once the glass door softly clicked from behind her back, Stephanie slowly walked out towards the ledge, as she was being careful about stepping on any of the leftover leaves on the balcony from the fall.

When she was close enough to the railing, Stephanie softly and carefully sighed in relief after finally being able to reach the handrail without getting a single giant to find her.

She gently leaned against the railing as she stared out at the forest behind her house, wondering to herself if she could either find a rare creature that could hide in the enchanted forest or a group of deer eating grass at a spot.

But, after a while of patiently waiting for any creatures to appear, Stephanie soon became bored with just waiting for nothing to happen.

Moving her body up slightly, Stephanie remembered a song that her foster-father used to sing quietly to herself when she went into an anxiety panic attack when she thought a giant had arrived at the house.

First, she vocalizes after remembering the lyrics, which were beautiful as a night gale’s singing, forgetting one rule her foster-father told her.

“🎵Upon one summer’s morning~, I carelessly did stray~,🎵” she sang softly to herself, feeling, at last, relaxed than having to hide all the time. “🎵Down by the Walls of Wapping~, where I met a sailor gay,~🎵”

The wind blew softly past her as she continued singing softly to herself, feeling more relaxed than tense and on her toes for any dangers.

“🎵Conversing with a bouncing lass, who seem’d to be in pain~,🎵” She continued singing, sighing softly to herself. “🎵Saying, ‘William, when you go, I fear you will ne’er return again.’🎵”

The trees gently rustle from the fresh wind, feeling a little calm shiver go down her spine as she continued singing the song she learned.

“🎵His hair it does in ringlets hang, his…🎵” Stephanie stopped when she could not remember the other half of the song, thinking hard about what else the melody has.

As she thought about the lyrics, something else made Stephanie’s blood run cold when  _ someone else finished the second half of the song for her. _

“🎵His hair it does in ringlets hang, his eyes as black as sloes~,🎵” the voice sang from inside the forest, causing Stephanie to bolt up from gently leaning against the railings, as a terrified expression was on her face. “🎵May happiness attend him wherever he goes, from Tower Hill, down to Blackwall, I will wander, weep and moan, all for my jolly sailor bold, until he does return.~🎵”

Stephanie did not continue singing the song after hearing that male’s voice singing the other half of the melody for her, feeling the hairs on her arms prickling with fear.

Her hand slowly crept over to the pocket knife in her pocket to take out if the figure bolted out of the forest at full tilt, deciding to attack her for no good reason.

Then, she slightly paled when she realized she had broken one rule that her foster-father specifically told her to follow the most: ‘Do not sing. Giants love hearing singing from us humans, which is why they keep humans as slaves.’

Stephanie’s breathing hitched as she continued to watch, her steel-blue eyes underneath her rectangular glasses quickly glancing around in fear, wondering where the giant could be.

Stephanie slowly soon started calming down from her fears when she noticed the voice did not speak again after she sang, moving her hand away from the knife in her pocket slowly as she continued glancing around.

No giants were coming out of the forest… yet.

Before she could make a u-turn and head back into the house to repeat the process of a giant lockdown, something cracked in the distance that caused her whole body to freeze on the spot, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck now standing up.

“Hey!” Stephanie’s breathing hitched when she heard the same male’s voice speaking, sounding confused. “Where are you?”

Stephanie continued to be quiet as she covered her mouth with her left hand, feeling terrified and scared of what else might happen to her.

“That song was beautiful, though!” the voice continued, confirming her fears.

She was still frozen in her spot as she kept hearing the voice before noticing something strange from the ground.

Keeping her body still from shaking from head to toe, she focused her attention on the rails of the balcony, feeling curious and anxious.

As she kept focusing on the rails, she felt slight tremors that shuddered slightly before stopping.

It repeated after each minute before the sounds of massive footsteps hit her with fear.

She glanced back up towards the forest before her face paled with fear, and her breathing hitched.

There, standing in the distance from the house,  _ was a giant! _

The giant was about fourteen or thirteen feet tall and had fair skin and short, semi-messy jet-black hair, with light blue eye color.

He wears a light blue jacket with yellow lining, and underneath is a white, short-sleeved shirt.

On the collar of his jacket, he has the number one pin on it.

He also wore a pair of blue pants with a single red line down the sides and black shoes.

Knowing that he was a giant is his elf pointed ears from underneath his hair.

The giant had his right hand on a tree that was still taller than him, as he glanced around with his eyes to see what the source of the singing was.

Stephanie wanted to run away from the giant before he could see her, but her body was not responding to her mind but was just frozen with fear.

Soon, his eyes glanced past her for a moment, making Stephanie’s heart skip a beat as her hands clenched the railings in front of her.

Did he just see her?

The answer was yes.

His mind did a u-turn at what he had looked over before, and he glanced back over to where Stephanie was standing before looking surprised to see her, standing there on the balcony of the house she lives inside, frozen with fear.

Stephanie flung backwards out of surprise, tripping on her feet a little, and landed on the ground on her back, banging her head on the pavement, but it was not enough to knock her out.

She softly groaned as she placed her hands on her back, curling slightly in pain at the impact of the ground.

“…Am I dreaming?” Stephanie glanced back up to see the giant still was not rushing over to her but staying in the spot he was, looking away from her as he had his left hand on his temple, looking confused.

Stephanie took this chance to escape from him before he could kidnap her.

Scooting her body backwards, Stephanie headed towards the glass doors of the balcony.

She froze a little as he glanced back over at her after looking away from her.

They made eye contact again after looking away for a few minutes. 

Stephanie panicked, flipping back over to her front and scrambling up to her feet before opening the door and entering back inside the house.

When she got inside, Stephanie turned back around and pulled the curtains back over the glass window, refusing to look out to see if he had followed her.

Once she was inside, Stephanie started softly crying to herself as she collapsed on her knees near the glass door of the balcony, feeling terrified and blamed for breaking two of the rules her foster-father told her to follow.

‘To not sing’ and ‘to not get caught by a giant.’

Outside, the giant blinked a few times after watching the little human run off the balcony and hide inside her home.

He glanced away from the house for a moment, looking very perplexed about what had happened.

“Did I see a human…?” he mumbled softly to himself. “But aren’t they-”

“Thomas?” The giant glanced up into the deep forest, responding to the name ‘Thomas.’ “Where are you?”

Before Thomas could follow the voice, he glanced back over the human’s home, thinking to himself for a moment about the strange human.

After a few quick minutes, he glanced back over his shoulder from looking at the house, not wanting to walk over to it to make her more scared.

“I’m coming,” Thomas called to the voice inside. “I was just a little distracted.”

After the giant left the spot he was standing, everything around the house was back to peace, except for Stephanie’s peace, which was shattered from being discovered by a giant.


	2. Frets and Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie ran after an intruder, but had accidentally wandered into the forest...

Stephanie continued sitting near a corner, chewing on the sides of her fingers as she scratched her arms with her nails.

Her mind was fretting over the fact that she had broken two simple rules that are supposed to be strictly followed through life: ‘Do not sing,’ and ‘do not get caught.’

But she was relaxed after being terrified throughout her life and sang, resulting in getting herself caught by the giant.

They have to move out of the house immediately, leaving no trace behind, and find another to live in.

If that does not work, they go Underground to live with the rest of the hidden humans.

But Stephanie did not want to leave her house or go with the other humans to hide out of daylight because she loved the outside world.

Suddenly, Stephanie stopped a little when she felt something liquid against her fingers, glancing down at her left arm and noticing she had scratched herself until she bled.

Stephanie stood up from the corner and carefully snuck herself into the bathroom to not make any noises.

She also kept an ear out for any noises coming from outside, pausing a few times to feel any tremors.

Once she had reached the bathroom, Stephanie carefully opened the cabinet door and took out the bandages before closing it back, as it made a small and quiet clicking noise.

Sitting on the bathroom floor, Stephanie first puts hydro-peroxide on her scratched arms to clean the blood off, which stung as she bit down on her tongue to keep herself from hissing.

After the blood was cleaned off of her arm, Stephanie then placed gauze pads on her scratched wounds to keep them from bleeding again.

She then started wrapping the bandages with bandage wrap, keeping the gauze pads secure from ripping off if she moved quickly around.

After mending her scratched arm, Stephanie carefully and slowly stood back up to her feet, walking to the living room to reconsider her actions.

Usually, if Stephanie either draws, crochets, or anything that makes ‘noises,’ her foster parents would instantly freak out if they catch her doing that, lecture her about what she did ‘to danger them’ and take all it away from her.

Stephanie covered her ears from the memories of her foster parents’ constant and frantic shrieking at her.

She had to watch her creations and her creativity being taken away from her or destroyed.

If she had toys, they would instantly take them away from her the instant they see them in her hands, leaving her with almost nothing.

Suddenly, something rumbled that caused her to open her eyes, and her breathing hitched a little.

Glancing over at the glass of water that she filled from the kitchen sink to help her calm her nerves, Stephanie watched as the surface of the glass rippled a little, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Was a giant coming this way?

Stephanie glanced over her shoulder at one of the closed windows, feeling terrified of seeing a giant iris staring back at her.

But she wonders if any of them came.

Gathering her courage, Stephanie stood up to her feet and slowly walked herself over to the window, being careful of making any noises to alert the giant that is coming here to know she is still inside the house.

Once she had reached the window, Stephanie hesitated at the thought of opening the curtains to look through it, still worried about a giant iris staring back at her through the glass.

But after hesitating for a moment, Stephanie slowly reached over with her hands and gripped the fabric, shaking as she took a deep breath.

Slowly, she opened the curtains, and, to her relief, there was no eye staring back at her, but Stephanie could see something going on within the forest.

Glancing around for something to help her look, Stephanie noticed her foster-father’s binoculars, remembering times when he used them to peer out the window for any incoming giants.

Picking them up, Stephanie looked through the binoculars and peered out into the forest to see what was going on.

Around fifteen or eighteen feet away from where Stephanie lives, she could see the same giant standing in the forest.

He was glancing around through the forest as he scratched the back of his neck with his hand, looking slightly confused.

Stephanie’s stomach worryingly clenched as she watched the giant with the binoculars until the giant glanced over at the home where she is living.

Instantly, Stephanie’s heart skipped a beat after they had made eye contact, but to her luck, the giant did not see her watching him through the window but only stared.

‘What on earth is he staring at?’ went through Stephanie’s mind as she continued staring at the giant with the binoculars.

But he could be staring at the house or something else instead.

The stare lasted around a few minutes as Stephanie stared back at him, worried about what else he was planning to do.

Then the giant glanced away from her home and looked over his shoulder.

Did someone call out his name?

After that, he walked away from the spot he was standing on, heading deeper into the forest.

Stephanie softly sighed as she moved the binoculars down from her eyes, relieved that she did not get caught by him again but felt nervous about going outside.

Suddenly, a scuffling noise went through the house that caused Stephanie to yelp, flipping around and dropping the binoculars down on the ground.

She covered her mouth worriedly as she glanced over at the sightly uncovered window.

The thought of seeing a giant standing in front of her home scares her.

A few minutes passed, and something orange sped by the couch, causing her to flinch before recognizing it was a fox.

Somehow a fox snuck itself into her home without her noticing or distracted by the giant lurking in the forest.

“Hey!” Stephanie softly exclaimed, moving around the couch carefully and noticing the fox.

It loudly growled when it saw her, flicking its long tail back and forth, pinning its ears back as a warning to not get close or it would bite.

“Shh!” She softly shushed the fox. “Don’t make too much noise!”

The fox stopped growling and lightly cocked its head to the side slightly after Stephanie gently shushed the fox before starting to come a little closer to her.

“What are you doing here?” Stephanie asked in confusion as she gently knelt a little to its height. “Are you-”

Before she could continue, her necklace fell off her neck after the link was released and landed on the ground.

Her necklace landed between her  _ and the fox. _

Instantly, the fox grabbed the necklace before she could and started darting through the house with it in its mouth!

“Hey!” Stephanie scrambled to her feet after seeing the fox snatch her necklace and chased after it.

She ignored her feelings of not wanting to make any noises to draw any attention.

It lasted for a few minutes through the house as she continued chasing the fox until it went through the door and went towards the forest.

Stephanie luckily had her shoes and her casual outdoor clothes on, instantly chasing after the fox, going into the forest where she was told not to enter.

She and the fox went deeper and deeper into the forest as Stephanie continued going after the fox, determined to get her necklace back.

Soon, she reached a stop where the fox dropped her necklace from its mouth and slowed down, panting as she leaned down and placed her hands on her knees.

All the running had been a part of an exercise practice Stephanie had from her foster-father whenever a giant saw them.

After taking a few minutes of taking some fresh air into her lungs, she picked her necklace up from the ground and wiped the saliva off of it onto the sweater she is wearing.

Once the saliva was off, Stephanie checked the chain that had made it fall off in the first place, which is luckily not broken.

Moving her hair over her shoulder with one hand, Stephanie placed her necklace back around her neck, clipping it together for the last time since she was only halfway through.

She then placed it inside her sweater and underneath her shirt, moving her hair back over her back.

Once she had her necklace back from the escaping fox, Stephanie turned around to head back to her home when she stopped and realized she did not know the way.

Then panic filled her mind when she noticed she was lost in the woods, which were the same woods her foster parents specifically told her not to enter inside.

_ Because giants roamed in the forest. _

‘Oh crap,’ Stephanie winced softly to herself as she glanced around. ‘Oh, crap, crap, crap, crap!’

Noticing that she would scratch her bandaged arm again, Stephanie forced herself to stop and calm down.

She kept telling herself since she got herself into this mess, she needs to get herself out.

So, she decided to go blindly through the forest to make her way back home and perhaps make a map the next time a fox sneaked into her home and took items away from her.

Stephanie went on her adventure to return home, and if she does, she will hide inside for the rest of the day until things are calm again.

But she kept stopping every time, thinking she was going around in circles.

After an hour had passed after walking through the forest, Stephanie felt confused and scared as she stood next to a tree, feeling panicked.

She did not have a phone with her, which made matters worse because her parents refused to give her any phones or anything electronic since ‘they make too much noise and distract you.’

Stephanie cursed her parents’ paranoia and herself for chasing after the fox without being prepared.

Soon, it got dark outside with the sun setting over the horizon after Stephanie continued walking through the forest, still lost and fretting that she could be walking around in circles.

Stephanie made a turn and started heading towards the direction she thought her home could be when she suddenly ran into something tall and semi-soft.

She went backwards after ramming into the being and fell onto her bottom, wincing as she covered her nose with her hand, wincing softly to herself.

“Huh, what was that?” Stephanie’s blood ran cold when she heard a voice over her head, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck standing up in fear.

She removed her hand from her nose after hearing the voice and, luckily, it did not bleed after the impact.

The object she had run into was covered in a piece of black fabric with two white stripes down the side, which made her a little confused.

Slowly, she followed where the black fabric met until she froze on the spot in fear as her face paled.

Towering over her at either thirteen or fourteen feet tall was another giant, except this one, which looked more different from the previous one she saw.

He has medium-length blonde hair with fair skin color and light blue eye color.

He is wearing a black with yellow and white jacket as he has dark yellow fabric patches on his elbows.

The right arm’s sleeve has the number seven, as the left arm has the American flag on it.

Tied around his neck is a red neckerchief tied, hiding some parts of his collar. 

But there was the name ‘Sunshine’ stitched in white on it.

His pant legs were long and drooping over the back of his brown shoes, and the white stripe down the side of his pant legs.

And they were  _ his legs she had run into. _

They made eye contact as Stephanie jumped in fear from the sudden gaze of his eyes.

He looked surprised to see her sitting on the ground near him after bumping into his leg as she went stiff.

“A human!” he exclaimed as he carefully turned his body towards her.

Stephanie immediately started scooting her body backwards in fear with her hands, trying to force her body to cooperate with her mind to get away from him.

He only took two steps forward after she had scooted away from him, as he reached over to her with his hands.

Soon after Stephanie scooted back a little, he finally reached her and placed his hands underneath her armpits, carefully wrapping his fingers around her thin body.

Stephanie yelped as she was lifted from the ground and into the air.

She was soon held about six or seven feet away from his face and from the ground.

Stephanie did not want to be in front of a giant or become its main center of attention.

“Who are you?” he curiously asked, not noticing that Stephanie was panicking and squirming in his grip.

She did not respond to his question after he had asked before noticing she could slip out of her sweater from his grip since it was not tight around her.

Moving her arms up, Stephanie slipped out of her sweater effortlessly and collapsed on the ground on her bottom, slightly wincing as she thought she landed on a pine cone.

“Oops, I’m sorry!” Stephanie slightly flinched when he tried again to grab her. “Are you alright?”

Stephanie dodged his hand and went past his legs, scrambling up to her feet before skidding underneath a pricker bush.

“Hey!” he exclaimed as his hand followed her. “I wanted to-ow!”

His fingers touched the bush after Stephanie skidded underneath the shrub without getting herself hurt, except he got pricked by it instead.

Stephanie watched from underneath a different bush as the giant quickly moved his hand away from the shrub she skidded underneath, wincing as his left was holding the cameo sweater she had slipped out of.

“Ow,” he winced as he hissed softly, noticing the multiple tiny thorns stuck in his palm. “Yep, that’s gonna leave a mark…”

Stephanie was about to make a dash to the other side of the forest to get out as fast as she could when she stopped and noticed another pair of footsteps were getting closer.

“Oi, Sunshine!” Stephanie ducked further after hearing another voice calling out, feeling more scared. “Where are you?”

The giant responded to the name ‘Sunshine,’ calling out to the voice, “I’m over her-ow!”

He winced as he moved his pricked right hand as a third giant emerged from the woods after Sunshine called over to him.

The third giant has fair skin with messy dark blonde hair and blue eye color.

He wears a blue cap with a sweater-like uniform in a yellow color and has a badge on the right arm, as the left arm has an American flag and a zipper down the front.

On the collar, he has the name ‘Ten Cents’ stitched in white thread, and the handwriting was in cursive.

Around his waist was a black belt with a silver buckle on the front, and on his hands is a pair of black fingerless gloves.

He is also wearing a pair of black pants with a white stripe down the sides and pockets hidden underneath his jacket.

Topping things off, he is also wearing a pair of brown shoes with white shoelaces.

He walked up to the second giant, who could be named Sunshine, and is taller than him as he reaches down to his chest.

“What happened, Sunshine?” he asked, noticing the injured right hand, before glancing over at his left hand. “And… is that a human’s sweater?”

Stephanie softly gasped when he noticed her sweater in Sunshine’s left hand, as he winced slightly from the thorns in the palm of his right.

She was about to be discovered and would be hunted down by masses of giants or giantess, wanting the last of the humans extinct.

“Yeah, I found a human here in the woods, too, Ten Cents!” Sunshine remarked.

“You found what?!” the third giant exclaimed, responding to the name ‘Ten Cents.’

“A human, Ten Cents!” Sunshine smiled softly as Stephanie’s heartbeat sped up in fear. “I knew history was wrong! There is still hu-ow!”

He winced when the thorns on his palm twinged with pain, as Ten Cents, the name of the third giant, gently took his friend’s injured palm and looked at it.

“Did this human do this to you?” Ten Cents asked, sounding stern.

Stephanie ducked a little after hearing the slight change in Ten Cents’ tone of his voice about the damage to his palm.

“No, she didn’t!” Sunshine panicked, confusing Stephanie slightly. “I did this to myself! I was just curious ‘bout her, and she hid underneath that pricker bush,” he paused as he pointed to the pricker bush Stephanie slid underneath.

“And caused yourself to be pricked?” Ten Cents finished for Sunshine as he sheepishly blushed and nodded. “I guess that is a lesson for lettin’ your curiosity gettin’ the best of you.”

Sunshine sighed as Ten Cents examined his pricked right hand as he held Stephanie’s sweater in the other.

“Oi, let me have a look at that,” Ten Cents mentioned to her sweater. “Let me see if it is real or not.”

Sunshine handed Ten Cents her sweater as he looked at it, as Sunshine held his right hand by the wrist.

“It doesn’t look old,” Ten Cents said as he stared at the sweater, feeling it gently with his fingers without ripping it on accident. “And, it feels warm, as if a human was wearin’ it!”

“I told you!” Sunshine exclaimed as he huffed. “I found a human!”

“Well, where is she?” Ten Cents asked.

Sunshine nodded his head over to the bush Stephanie was hiding in.

“She’s hidin’ behind that bush,” Sunshine spoke as Stephanie gasped, ducking more behind the bush. “I don’t think I want ta make another move towards that pricker bush.”

“I agree,” Ten Cents nodded before placing Stephanie’s sweater into the pocket of his pants. “Why don’t you go to our home and get yourself mended? I’ll stay here.”

“Are you sure?” Sunshine curiously asked. “What about-?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll convince her,” Ten Cents assured him again, interrupting him.

Sunshine paused for a moment after Ten Cents assured him, glancing away as he eyed the bush Stephanie was hiding, as Stephanie shook from head to toe.

“Alright, I trust you, Ten Cents,” Sunshine sighed. “But don’t hurt her, okay?”

“I promise,” Ten Cents nodded. “Just remember not to tell anyone else.”

“Alright, Ten Cents!” Sunshine smiled before wincing slightly from the twinge of pain from his hand, from the thorns. “Ow, okay, don’t move that hand.”

With that, Sunshine walked away from Ten Cents and started heading deeper into the woods, holding his hand by the wrist.

After Sunshine disappeared, Stephanie peeked slightly from around the bush to see if Sunshine or Ten Cents was distracted to get away from them before she could be caught.

But Ten Cents was not distracted and accidentally revealed some part of herself to him when he glanced back at the bush, as she gasped and hid away from him.

“Oi,” Stephanie winced when she heard the giant’s voice called to her as she hid behind the bush. “Are you there?”

Stephanie did not respond and continued hiding from him, shaking like a leaf as she curled close to her body, feeling terrified.

“I just saw you,” he remarked, causing Stephanie to jolt. “So, come on out from there. You can’t be hidin’ there for long.”

Stephanie understood he was right since she was far away from home and terrified, feeling like she would cry again.

“Look,” she flinched as the ground rumbled a little before stopping. “I know Sunshine didn’t mean to make you scared, but he was just curious. I have your sweater in my pocket.”

She felt more confused when he mentioned her sweater, thinking they had already ripped it to pieces.

“Well, if you are not comin’ out,” Stephanie stiffened, thinking she must have made him angry for not coming out. “I’m stayin’ here until you do.”

Stephanie’s confusion and curiosity grew as she turned her head to the side slightly, still feeling scared but confused about why he is not chasing after her or attempting to grab her yet.

Her mind shuddered slightly at the thought of being grabbed again and lifted from the ground.

Suddenly, something brown zipped past her, which caused the sudden blur of color to startle her.

She accidentally fell to the side and landed hard on the ground, possibly on another pine cone.

Stephanie winced after she had collapsed on the ground, placing her hands on the back of her head and wincing slightly at herself, thinking she could have landed on a rock too.

“Ouch, are you alright?” Stephanie jolted when she realized she was revealed again to the giant, bolting up to her hands.

She glanced over before being taken by surprise when she saw his hand reaching for her.

Instantly, Stephanie yelped and curled herself into a ball, trembling from head to toe in front of him, as she thought she would be grabbed again.

But nothing has happened to her yet as she was still curled into a ball.

With Ten Cents, his hand was near her, but not touching her to make her feel overwhelmed after seeing her curled into a ball.

He felt confused and concerned about her as he moved his hand back away from her, wondering what could have possibly made her feel terrified of giants?

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ten Cents thought of why she was so terrified of them in his mind, remembering the legends from one of his friends about the relationship between humans and giants.

But there was nothing about humans fearing giants.

Unless there could be something else that Ten Cents he does not know about.

A sniff snapped Ten Cents out of his thoughts as he glanced back up to her, noticing that the human was still curled on the spot where she accidentally came out of, still shaking and… crying.

Worried, Ten Cents placed his left hand on the ground and reached back over to her, feeling concerned he might have done something wrong to her.

“Oi, are you alright?” Ten Cents softly asked, still not touching her with his hand. “Is there somethin’ that me or Sunshine did?”

She stiffened when the shadow of his hand loomed over her, curling tightly just inches away from his hand.

He remembered Sunshine telling him he had found her and was curious about her, so he must have grabbed her before.

“Oh,” Ten Cents softly winced to himself. “You must’ve been really scared when Sunshine found, weren’t you?”

The shaking died down a little after he had asked, as she slowly moved her hands from her head.

Ten Cents continued speaking to her, thinking he would help her if he would calm her down, just a little.

“I mean,” Ten Cents spoke. “If I were at your height, I would’ve been terrified too if you found us and picked us up.”

Soon, she slowly uncurled herself from a ball and glanced up at him with tear-stained eyes.

This confirmed to Ten Cents that she was overwhelmed because two giants caught her.

Ten Cents felt more worried about her when he noticed her crying, moving his hand behind her instead of hovering over her.

“Look, I’m not goin’ hurt you,” Ten Cents assured her as she slightly flinched when she noticed his hand from behind. “I promise.”

She glanced back over at him after he had promised not to hurt her, as he could tell she could be thinking or feeling confused.

He perked up when he heard a twig snap in the distance before a different voice called out, “Ten Cents? Where are you?”

Stephanie recoiled when she heard a different voice calling out to the giant standing before her and started shaking like a leaf at the thought of being discovered by  _ another giant. _

“Oh no,” he winced softly to himself as he glanced over his shoulder from looking at her. “O.J’s comin’ over here!”

She yelped in startlement when she was suddenly scooped up from the ground, flipping over on her back as she was in his palm.

It was unlike being grabbed around the middle like what the previous giant did to her.

When she was picked up from the ground, the giant carefully placed her in a cradling position against his chest.

He slowly stood up to his feet as Stephanie felt like he was towering about fourteen or fifteen ft.

“Ten Cents?” A fourth giant appeared from around a tree, also looked different from the three previous giants Stephanie encountered.

The giant is an elder with short white hair, fair skin, and soft light blue eye color.

He wears a pair of half-moon glasses, with a flat straw hat on his head with a red ribbon around it.

He also wore a yellow long-sleeved jacket over a white short-sleeved button-up shirt with a collar, including a black bowtie with a number three pin, the American flag on his collar, and his name stitched in white thread.

Topping things off, he also wears a pair of black pants and brown shoes, and in his right hand, he has a cane for support.

“Oh, O.J,” Stephanie trembled when she heard the name of the fourth giant, feeling more overwhelmed and afraid.

“What are you doing over there?” O.J., the name of the elder, asked, sounding confused. “I thought you were heading to the others after patrol?”

“I err,” Ten Cents stammered a little before O.J noticed Stephanie in his arm.

He looked surprised when he noticed Stephanie in his arms, asking as he mentioned to her with a hand, “Is that a human in your arm?”

“Yes,” Ten Cents sighed, looking concerned but protective of her. “Sunshine was the first one to find her.”

“Well, where is he?” O.J asked.

“He went to mend his hand up after gettin’ it pricked on that pricker bush.” Ten Cents explained, mentioning over to the pricker bush next to him. “There’s a lot more to that, too.”

O.J paused for a moment after he had explained before speaking, “Well, please tell me all about it, Ten Cents.”

So, Ten Cents explained what he had heard from Sunshine, summing up the best he could for O.J to understand.

After Ten Cents finished and got to the part where he was trying to calm Stephanie down from being overwhelmed, O.J thought to himself as he placed a hand on his chin.

“I think I remember where she lives,” O.J spoke.

“You do?” Ten Cents asked, perking a little from acting protectively over her. “Do you know where it could be?”

“Yes, but you have to promise me this,” O.J sternly spoke as Stephanie was silent the whole time, feeling overwhelmed, confused, and scared. “Do not tell anyone else about her or where she lives. It is too dangerous for her to be alone out here by herself or with anyone else.”

Stephanie was slightly perked when she heard the somewhat strict sentence from O.J, feeling more confused and curious about why they were not like the ones she had heard from her foster parents.

“I promise, O.J,” Ten Cents nodded. “Can you do the same thin’ to Sunshine? Except with showin’ him where she lives?”

“Of course,” O.J chuckled softly.

Stephanie only stayed quiet as she was being carried in Ten Cents’ arms, feeling semi-overwhelmed, confused, and curious.

Soon, they reached the edge of the forest, and Ten Cents noticed Stephanie’s house from the distance.

“Is that her home?” Ten Cents asked, sounding confused.

“It is,” O.J nodded. “Best if you drop her off since you are holding her.”

Ten Cents nodded his head and walked up to her home before placing her down at ground level on the backyard doors.

She slid out of his palm and landed on the ground, still shaking from being grabbed twice in a row.

Mostly from her overwhelming feelings of being caught by the giants.

“Oh, I forgot,” Stephanie slightly flinched as she turned over to Ten Cents worriedly, as he reached into his pocket and took out her sweater carefully.

He handed it over to Stephanie as she took it, feeling more confused yet slightly calm and… safe.

“There,” Ten Cents smiled as he stood back up carefully. “I’ll be off now.”

With that, Ten Cents walked away and entered back into the forest with O.J, leaving behind a confused and relieved Stephanie.

Stephanie went back inside the house after she was dropped off, pushing back a stray brown hair that could be covered in dirt.

But her mind was filled with questions and confusion.

Why are they acting so differently from the stories that her foster parents told her?

So, semi-unwilling and curious, Stephanie decided to do something that she would regret doing in the future or in her life.

That is to spy on the giants to see how they would act with each other.

* * *

Meanwhile, with O.J and Ten Cents, Ten Cents thought to himself about the little girl he recently held, wondering who else lives with her.

“Is there something wrong?” Ten Cents snapped out of his thinking and glanced over at O.J, who looked concerned for him. “You seemed to be thinking hard about something.”

“Yes, there is,” Ten Cents nodded as he stopped walking. “It’s ‘bout that girl. I can’t get the thought of her out of my mind.”

“What about her?” O.J asked curiously as he also stopped walking by Ten Cents’ side. “Is it about her alone?”

“Yes, that is exactly it,” Ten Cents nodded in agreement. “There’s somethin’ that makes me feel worried. Where could the relatives or her husband have gone off to?”

Somehow, that question seemed to make O.J think about her too, slowing down a little as he thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	3. Accused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie made a decision, and yet, seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time...

The next day after the giant encounter she had, Stephanie overthought the decision she had made while standing in the living room, walking back and forth.

And the decision is to go back into the forest and watch the giants or giantess.

But Stephanie did not know what would or could happen if she was caught by them again if she was not careful.

She would never be seen again or could be experimented on or be a center of attention for some circus.

Goosebumps rose on Stephanie’s arms at the thought of what horrible things giants would do to her, causing her to panic and was on the verge of scratching her other arm.

Stephanie caught herself before she could vigorously scratch and forced herself to calm down from the panicked thoughts in her mind.

The sentence ‘I won’t hurt you, I promise,’ went through her mind after she continued forcing herself to calm down from her anxiety, causing her mind to stop thinking about the negativity and focused on the act of kindness.

The line seemed to make Stephanie’s nerves die down a little, remembering the time when she was overwhelmed, but he calmed her down before things got out of hand.

After remembering the line, Stephanie gathered her courage inside her and carefully but quietly opened the front door.

Once the door was opened, Stephanie stepped out of her house and closed the door behind, locking it so no fox would get inside.

She walked up to the front of the forest from her home before stopping in her tracks.

From where she was standing and staring at it, it looked… eerily dark and spooky.

A slight shudder went through her body after staring at the forest, feeling creeped out from looking at it.

But Stephanie took a deep breath to not break herself from the decision she made and made her way into the forest.

After a few minutes in the forest, Stephanie continued looking around for any tracks left behind.

It could be either a trail of footprints from the giants’ shoes or any scraps of food that they were eating.

Stephanie turned around the corner after looking around at the spot she was standing on.

She then stopped when she felt something rumble from underneath her feet.

It rumbled for a little, before stopping, then at it again.

The feeling felt like… footsteps.

Stephanie immediately gasped softly and glanced around before noticing the tree and hid behind it, but peeking around the corner.

Two bigger giants appeared before her, luckily not noticing her hiding behind the tree, and it made her heart skip a beat.

They were towering over fifteen or sixteen feet tall and wearing almost similar colors of clothes as Ten Cents, O.J, and Sunshine was wearing.

The first man has short blond hair, fair skin, steel-blue eye color, and a stubble coming out.

He is wearing a blue cap and has a yellow jacket that has the American flag on his right arm, as the left has the number two, and on his collar has the name ‘Big Mac’ in white thread and in cursive.

Underneath his jacket, he wears a white, long-sleeved shirt.

Topping things off, he is also wearing a pair of black pants with two thin white stripes down the side of his legs and black shoes.

The second man has fair skin, hazelnut brown eye color, and short jet-black hair.

He wears a red jacket with blue hems and a hoodie, with the American flag on his left arm, as his right arm had the number five, and has the name ‘Warrior’ on the collar in white thread.

Around his waist, he wore a brown belt with a silver buckle that held his black pants. 

His pants also have a single white line down the sides of his legs, almost like Ten Cents.

Topping things off, he also wore a pair of brown boots.

“Are you sure you know where you’re goin’?” the second man asked curiously, as they both stopped.

“Of course!” the first man exclaimed, his accent thick with Irish. “I’m sure we were goin’ the right way!”

“Well, I think we might’ve gone the wrong way,” the second man mumbled, scratching his head with his right hand from underneath his hat.

“What makes you think that?” the first man asked gruffly.

“I sometimes know some routes ‘round here and-” a twig snapping caused them both to stop talking and glance around. “What was that?”

“Must’ve been a rabbit or somethin’.” the first man shrugged. “There’s no reason to be jumpy ‘bout it.”

The second man paused a little after the first shrugged, thinking about something.

“What if Papyrus could be right?” the second man asked. “I mean, he was mumblin’ about somethin’ of a human.”

The first man sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Now, you’re belivin’ in the tales Scuttlebutt Pete was tellin’ you?” the first man scoffed.

“No, I have been thinkin’ ‘bout it,” the second man mumbled softly. “What if we did find a human? One of the last ones?”

“Nonsense,” the first man scoffed. “There’s no such thin’ as-”

He stopped when he noticed something blue moving from the corner of his eye, causing him to stop and glance over.

“What?” The second man did the same thing and saw a small, thigh-high human girl, frozen on the spot and staring at them with fear in her eyes, as she looked petrified inches away from a tree. “Sufferin’-!”

Before he could continue, the first man stormed over to her before she could escape and grabbed her around the middle of her body.

She yelped in fear as she was placed against a tree, being pinned against it.

She squirmed in his hand against the tree, struggling to push herself out from his grip.

“What are you doin’ here?!” he snapped in anger. “Spyin’ on us?!”

The human girl panicked as she struggled in his grip against the tree, feeling pinned and afraid.

“Big Mac, wait!” the second man grabbed his friend’s arm, causing him to glance over at him rather than the girl. “Don’t hurt her!”

“But she was spyin’ on us!” the first man snapped, responding to the name ‘Big Mac.’ “Don’t you think she might belong to the Z-Stacks?!”

“Big Mac!” the second man snapped, surprising Big Mac slightly. “She is not a spy. That’s the human that Papyrus was mumblin’ ‘bout.”

Big Mac glanced over at the girl as she had her head ducked down while shaking, as he glanced back over at his friend.

“Are you sure?” he asked, sounding confused.

“Of course!” the second man exclaimed. “She didn’t attack you, didn’t she?”

Big Mac paused for a moment to think of the reaction she had when they both saw her, as she looked terrified and did not fight back against him after he grabbed her.

“You’re right,” he nodded after thinking to himself, calming down a little. 

Big Mac glanced back over at the girl and noticed something strange when he felt her shaking die down suddenly.

She dropped her hands away from his hand wrapped around her and slumped against the tree.

“Huh?” Wrapping his fingers around her thin body, Big Mac picked the girl up from against the tree and looked at her, noticing that she was knocked out cold.

“Did you hurt her?!” the second man panicked.

“I didn’t!” Big Mac panicked slightly, exclaiming a little. “Wait a moment.”

He reached into his back pocket with his spare hand and grabbed something from inside before taking out a switchblade pocket knife.

“Uh, Big Mac?” the second man asked, sounding nervous. “What are you goin’ to do?“

“There was somethin’ I learned from O.J whenever Top Hat faints,” Big Mac spoke as he unclicked his knife. “Since people fainted from being knocked out by somethin’, you can tell that they are still alive by placing something that reflects their breath.”

“Oh,” the second man sighed. “I thought you were… never mind.”

He slightly paled before he could finish his sentence, mostly turning green too.

Big Mac carefully placed the knife near her mouth and noticed that small puffs of steam were being blown against it, proving that she was still alive after fainting.

“That’s a relief,” the second man sighed, as Big Mac removed his knife and clicked it to close. “You should’ve been more careful!”

“I tried!” Big Mac groaned before handing the knocked out girl to his hands. “Here, Warrior, you take care of her instead.”

“Me?!” the second man exclaimed, responding to the name ‘Warrior.’ “But, I don’t know anythin’ ‘bout humans.”

“But you can take her back to base since you know the way back, Warrior,” Big Mac spoke. “I’ll keep doing a run ‘round here, okay?”

Warrior, the name of the second giant, paused for a moment before nodding his head.

“Okay, I’ll be careful.” Warrior nodded.

“Good luck, Warrior,” Big Mac spoke before leaving as Warrior went deeper into the woods.

Warrior was careful with the human girl in his arms, moving them a little and trying his best not to mess up or drop her to the ground.

Soon, Warrior appeared in front of a large house deep within the woods and entered inside, being extremely careful with the human girl in his arm.

When he entered inside, he stopped when he noticed Sunshine, with small band-aids on his right hand and Ten Cents standing next to him.

“Hmm, Warrior?” Ten Cents spoke, noticing Warrior by the door. “What are you doin’ here?”

“Just checkin’ in,” Warrior slightly panicked as he moved his arm up slightly to conceal the little girl from being seen. “Nothin’ wrong.”

But he did not cover her in time as they glanced down at his arms in confusion, seeing the human girl in them and unconscious.

He felt a little worried about their reaction to seeing the human girl in his arms, thinking they were about to attack him or hurt the human.

Warrior prepared himself for the worse as they stood up from their seats, getting ready to either do flight or fight.

Instead, Sunshine exclaimed, “You found her, too?!” looking at the unconscious human in his arms despite how short he was compared to him.

“Who did this to her?!” Ten Cents snapped, sounding a little angry.

Warrior looked confused and startled as they exclaimed after noticing her in his arms before walking over to calm Ten Cents.

“C-Calm down,” Warrior spoke, assuring the angered Ten Cents as he adjusted his arm. “I’ll explain everythin’ if you could get somethin’ for her.”

Sunshine went off to get a small blanket for her as Warrior handed the little girl to Ten Cents.

“My brother, Big Mac, thought that she was the Z-Stacks’ spy.” Warrior explained. “He frightened her too much and may have caused her to pass out.”

“So that’s what happened?” Ten Cents asked as Sunshine came with the blanket. “Well, if Big Mac comes here, I’ll give him a piece of my mind.”

“Don’t worry,” Warrior spoke. “It was an accident and a misunderstandin’. ‘Sides, how did Papyrus know that a human was still alive?”

Sunshine pursed his lips after coming back into the main room with a blanket that was her size as Ten Cents turned to him after placing Stephanie down on the counter.

“Papyrus knows this?” Ten Cents asked, before turning to Sunshine, noticing his expression. “Sunshine, is there somethin’ you did?”

Sunshine blushed sheepishly and explained, not looking at eye contact with Ten Cents or Warrior, “I, er, I accidentally slipped out some secrets to Papyrus, but he easily catches on ‘bout it.”

Ten Cents facepalmed himself as Warrior groaned, lifting an arm up and placed a hand on his temple.

“Who else did you accidentally spilled out?” Ten Cents asked.

“Just Papyrus, no one else,” Sunshine answered, slightly sighing as he glanced up at them. “Though, I am havin’ a bad feelin’ ‘bout what he is goin’ do to her?”

“Yeah,” Warrior nodded. “He could’ve harmed her with his excitement or kept her as a pet.”

Ten Cents’ hand clenched into a fist as Sunshine shuddered slightly to himself.

“Well, we have to be careful with him just in case he sees her,” Ten Cents spoke softly. “Including Alphys and the other scientists.”

Warrior shuddered softly to himself at the thoughts of the little girl in their possession.

“That wouldn’t be pretty.” Sunshine paled.

Ten Cents nodded before noticing some movement from the blanket, drawing his attention from the conversation to her.

“Well, it seems like she is awake now,” Ten Cents spoke as she sat up, looking groggy.

With Stephanie, Stephanie slowly wakes up from passing out from the angry giant, feeling a little shaken up from the encounter of one.

“Are you alright?” Stephanie recoiled when she heard the same voice she heard yesterday, glancing over and noticing that it was from Ten Cents.

She noticed Sunshine but noticed the second man with that angry giant behind Ten Cents, looking concerned.

She yelped and pulled the blanket she was in up to her chest, moving back a little as the second man did the same thing, except slightly.

“Oh, don’t worry about Warrior,” Sunshine assured her as he placed his hand on the man’s arm, who is named Warrior, as Warrior still looks worried. “He did nothin’ wrong.”

Stephanie calmed down slightly when Sunshine assured her but still would not trust Warrior after the other encounter with the other man.

“Sorry ‘bout Big Mac, though,” he softly mumbled as he continued looking sheepish. “He’s sometimes like that.”

“Big and gruff?” Ten Cents cockily asked.

Warrior paused after Ten Cents asked, thinking to himself about what Ten Cents asked.

“Almost like that,” Warrior nodded as Sunshine chuckled. “Except grumpier than Cranky or Duncan.”

Stephanie slowly moved the blanket down slightly, still feeling nervous about what else might happen.

“Anyways,” Ten Cents spoke, then remembering something. “What a minute, what were you doin’ close to Warrior and Big Mac?”

Nervous of getting them angry, Stephanie stammered as she shook with fear, “I-I was only watching. Nothing serious or anything! I-I don’t-”

“Wait a moment,” Ten Cents assured her, stopping her before she could continue stammering. “What do you mean you were ‘watching?’”

Stephanie’s cheeks blushed slightly and answered, stammering a little, “Uh, e-excuse me if I insult anyone, but my foster parents used to tell me everything about what giants, like you and your friends, would do to humans like us.”

“You mean like in storybooks?” Sunshine asked.

“Almost,” Stephanie sighed, placing a hand on the back of her neck. “Since he,” Stephanie mentioned over to Ten Cents. “And you,” Stephanie mentioned to Sunshine. “And an elder,” Stephanie continued.

“You mean old O.J?” Warrior asked. “He knows about this too?”

“Yes, they… were strangely nice to me than what I was expecting.” Stephanie sighed.

“Were you exceptin’ us to be like those giants in those books you’ve read?” Ten Cents asked.

Stephanie panicked and thought he sounded like he was angry.

“N-No, I thought you guys were like them,” Stephanie panicked. “I didn’t believe it after what happened between us. Besides, it’s been over twenty years since the last time I saw a giant.”

“Wait a moment,” Sunshine spoke. “‘Twenty years?’ You’ve been alone for twenty years?!”

Stephanie’s head went down a little, feeling worried that she might have spilled some history of her past and the location of where her house was.

“No, only for fourteen years,” Stephanie sighed as she rubbed her left arm. “They passed away when I was only six years old.”

That was enough to make them think of something else, even to save her home too.

Sunshine, Ten Cents, and Warrior worriedly glanced at each other after Stephanie answered Sunshine’s question, feeling worried about her.

However, Stephanie was thinking about her foster parents’ rules about being safe from being captured by giants, doubting that they could be lying.

“Hey,” Sunshine spoke, gently tugging Stephanie out of her thoughts. “Sorry for scarin’ you back there. I was only curious about ya.”

Stephanie slightly paused after Sunshine apologized to her and gently said, “It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

Sunshine glanced back over at Stephanie, and smiled softly, responded, “Thank you.”

“I mean,” Stephanie spoke gently. “If I were to be your height and you in my height, I think I would’ve done the same thing, but it can get a little out of hand.”

Sunshine blushed a little as he moved his injured hand away, feeling shy.

“Anyways,” Ten Cents spoke as he glanced over at Stephanie. “We got to take you back home before-”

“Take who back home?” Warrior, Sunshine, Ten Cents, and Stephanie flinched from the sound of someone’s voice as they glanced over their shoulders to see who was behind them.

Standing at the entrance of the base, with some other giants.

Behind him was a different member, who Stephanie does not remember that belongs in the group.

He has fair skin, short jet-black hair, and steel-blue eye color, with a monocle on his left eye.

He wears a black suit with a white undershirt with buttons and black pants with shoes.

On the collar of his suit, he has both the American flag badge, the number four pin, and the name ‘Top Hat’ stitched in cursive in white thread.

On his head, he is wearing a black top hat.

“Uh, Top Hat,” Sunshine nervously spoke before the gentleman noticed Stephanie on the counter, with the blanket up to her collarbone.

“What on earth is that?!” he exclaimed as he pointed a finger.

Stephanie flinched from the tone of his voice, scooting back a little.

“Calm down, Top Hat!” Warrior spoke, placing his hands on his shoulders, as a head craned over the side of Top Hat, the name of the gentleman. “We’ll explain everythin’!”

Stephanie felt more overwhelmed as a figure took several steps over to her before stopping just six or seven feet away from her.

He has short gray hair, goggles on top of his head, and steel-blue eye color.

He wears a gray uniform with a white undershirt and black shoes, with the American flag on the left forearm.

“Who are you?” he asked, sounding curious about her.

“I, uh, I,” Stephanie stammered, shaking like a leaf in front of him.

“What on earth is going on?!” Stephanie jolted again when she heard a familiar elder’s voice, noticing it was O.J.

Right behind him was a taller member of the group, and he has short jet-black hair with a pencil-thin mustache and fair skin with soft hazelnut eye color.

He wears a pair of round glasses and a cap with an eagle on the top.

The member is also wearing a long blue jacket with ends that reach down to his ankles.

He has the number six on his right arm, his left arm has the American flag, and on the collar has his name stitched in white thread and in cursive.

Topping things off, he is also wearing a pair of black pants with two white stripes down the sides of his legs and dark brown shoes.

They both noticed Stephanie on the counter as the man with the glasses on asked, “Is that a human?”

“Yes, and be careful with her,” O.J warned. “You might-”

“Well, what is it doing in here?! Who knows when more will come?!” the gentleman screeched, mentioning over to her again, acting like an old woman had seen a mouse.

“You think she is a rat to you?!” Ten Cents snapped, baring his teeth.

“Well-” Top Hat was about to continue when Stephanie covered her ears and ducked her head down, curling slightly in fear from the conversation.

Muffedly, she could hear angry voices snapping at each other, mostly from others that could or could not be concerned for her.

It lasted for two or three painful minutes before feeling two different hands touching her sides as the fingers wrapped around her middle and lifted her from the counter and out of the blanket Warrior handed over to her.

“That’s enough!” a voice bellowed out from behind her, single-handedly silencing the entire group.

Stephanie curled up more in fear as she kept her head down, mostly with her ears covered.

“Stufferin’ stacks!” It was Warrior’s voice. “What happened to her?”

“I will explain everything if you all would answer this question,” the voice behind her spoke, sounding stern. “Who brought her here in the first place from her home?”

Silence went through the air for a moment before Big Mac’s voice spoke, answering, “Sir, I gave her to Warrior to come in here to take care of her after causin’ her to faint after our… encounter.”

“Wait a moment,” Top Hat spoke as Stephanie slowly removed her hands from her ears. “You caused her to faint?”

“I didn’t mean to!” Big Mac spoke, sounding gruffer. “I thought she was with the Z-Stacks!”

“Then she would be wearin’ black instead of blue!” Ten Cents snapped, causing Stephanie to cover her ears slightly.

“Settle down,” the voice behind her spoke. “Now that the group knows that there is a human living here, which is the one in my hands, she is now in great danger, even if stepping out.”

“So, that means,” Top Hat began before the man behind Stephanie said, sighing, “Yes, that means she has to stay in here until the coast is clear.”

Stephanie’s heart skipped a beat when he nodded, shaking like a leaf again at the thought of having to stay inside a giant’s base with a giant that does not seem to like her kind.

“Now, I have received news from Nikita about the human’s home,” the man continued, as Stephanie once again slowly removed her hands from her ears. “Unfortunately, someone must’ve found the home she has lived inside and destroyed it.”

Stephanie’s heart sank after hearing the news from him, her head still ducked down slightly.

“Oh, dear,” some members mumbled.

“Then, that means she is homeless now,” Ten Cents spoke.

“Indeed,” O.J nodded.

“But, wouldn’t it be too risky, Captain Star?” Sunshine spoke. “She’s only around eight or nine inches tall, and some giants we know could hurt her!”

“Yes, I know,” the voice nodded, who is named Captain Star. “But, it would be best if she stays here for the moment until we figure out what to do next.”

With that, Stephanie was placed back down on the counter, as she was still a little shaken up from being grabbed unexpectedly.

“Also,” Stephanie glanced up to see who picked her up but only looked surprised to see the figure. “Since Nikita also gave the news that Papyrus knows the secret about her, we have to take special precautions around him too.”

When Stephanie glances up at her holder, he has short gray hair slowly graying from age along with a beard, fair skin, and steel-blue eye color. 

He wears a sailor’s cap with a blue jacket with a white undershirt with buttons and a black tie. 

Topping things off, he is also wearing a pair of black pants and black shoes.

Everyone nodded their heads, and Stephanie glanced away from him, feeling guilty, scared, and alone that she had to stay inside a giant’s base.

“Now,” Captain Star spoke. “Everyone, go back to your work, and I’ll take care of her until the day ends. We’ll discuss more of this later.”

Everyone nodded their heads again, obeying the order Captain Star told them, and exited the base.

Sunshine, however, glanced over at Stephanie for a moment before leaving.

Once they left, Stephanie shakily sighed as she placed a hand against her chest, feeling it beating hard in her chest.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” Stephanie flinched again when she heard Captain Star’s voice, glancing back up at him.

She paused for a moment after he asked, before finally answering, responding, “No, not really.”

Captain Star paused for a moment after she honestly answered his question and asked, “Is it because you didn’t suspect that there are going to be more giants?”

Stephanie sheepishly nodded her head, blushing a little with sheepishness.

“Yes, my foster-father just told me that giants live outside the city,” Stephanie explained, as she pushed the blanket off of her body. “I didn’t know that there were going to be more than just a handful.”

Captain Star paused a little as Stephanie continued fretting, nervously biting the bottom of her lip and squirming a little, scratching her chest over her clothes.

“What am I going to do now?” Stephanie mumbled to herself softly. “There are going to be giants and giantess all over me, I’m going to be discovered and captured with no one else to help, and-”

“Calm down.” Stephanie went stiff like a rock when Captain Star’s fingers gently wrapped around her frame, shaking a little. “You’re going to stress yourself out and lose all your hair if you keep this up.”

Stephanie paused a little after Captain Star’s hand was wrapped around her, stopping her from fretting, including scratching at her skin and glancing over at him with a slightly confused expression on her face.

“S-Sorry, sir,” Stephanie apologized, glancing away from him as she moved her hands up to her forearms, gripping her sweater.

After she apologized, Captain Star removed his hand from around Stephanie, placing it next to her.

“Aside from what had happened earlier,” Captain Star spoke, as Stephanie glanced back up at him, her hands still on her forearms, gripping her sweater’s arms. “What is your name?”

Stephanie paused a little after Captain Star asked before answering, “Stephanie, Stephanie Nova Rose Allen is my name.”

Captain Star smiled reassuringly and tipped his hat to Stephanie, responding, “My name is Captain Maverick Star, but I prefer being called ‘Captain Star.’”

“Is that the name the giants were saying?” Stephanie asked, removing a hand from her forearm and mentioning her hand over the door.

“Yes,” Captain Star nodded his head. “They are my crew.”

A surprised expression appeared on Stephanie’s face when he nodded, softly asking, “Th-They’re your crew? All eight of them?!”

Captain Star nodded his head again after Stephanie exclaimed, before politely asking, “May I perhaps pick you up? I want to show you pictures of them.”

Stephanie paused a little after Captain Star asked, shuddering slightly at the thought of being grabbed, remembering Big Mac’s rough grip and Sunshine’s curiosity that nearly gave her a heart attack.

But Captain Star was gentle to her, so Stephanie nodded her head but added, “Please be careful with me.”

Captain Star nodded his head again, and, being as careful as he could, he gently wrapped his fingers around Stephanie’s midsection of her body from underneath her armpits.

Her heart skipped a beat as she was lifted from the counter before being placed in Captain Star’s left hand, close to his chest for safety.

Stephanie felt nervous about being dropped to the ground after being picked up but forced her mind to cooperate from being scared, not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings.

Once she was against his chest and in his hand, Captain Star walked into his office after opening a door with his free hand.

The office was massive and had a desk at the back, with many contracts on the walls from different companies, even ones that read ‘Knapford.’

Stephanie’s fears died down a little when she noticed the contracts on the walls, including photos of Ten Cents and others she had seen earlier.

Despite her curiosity about the room and the contracts, Stephanie still felt anxious about what trouble she had gotten herself into.

Captain Star placed Stephanie down on the desk and sat down on the chair, as Stephanie also sat down, feeling a little more anxious than before.

“Now,” Captain Star spoke, moving his hands closer to his body than close to Stephanie to make her feel trapped. “I’ll ask you some questions and let you know where you can sleep after that, okay?”

Stephanie was silent after Captain Star explained what he was going to do, feeling like she wanted to deny and try to escape from him and go back to her home where she was comfortable staying.

But, not wanting to make a giant angry or get herself trapped or killed, Stephanie only silently nodded her head and forced to make herself comfortable sitting on the desk.

After sitting down on the desk’s surface, Captain Star asked the first question to her, “How long have you been on the Surface?”

Stephanie paused a little after Captain Star asked, thinking about the rules her foster parents had told her, but remembering the giant’s feelings, she answered with slight hesitation and fear in her voice, “I’ve… been on the Surface since I was a baby.”

Captain Star slowly nodded his head after she answered his question, then asked, “Who else was with you?”

Again, Stephanie hesitated for a moment after Captain Star asked, before answering with the same tone in her voice, “My foster parents… they died from a disease when I was six years old.”

From his eyes, Stephanie could see a slight  _ change _ in them, as if he perked a little from the answer she had given him.

“Do you remember what had happened to your birth parents?” Captain Star calmly asked, as there were  _ hints _ of concern in his tone.

Why was he concerned for her?

“N-No, I don’t,” Stephanie answered. “They mysteriously died a long time ago when I was a baby. My foster parents kept telling me that a giant must have killed them during one of the attacks after I was born.”

A pause came from Stephanie as she glanced away from Captain Star, thinking to herself about the little information her foster parents had given her.

“Although,” Stephanie began thoughtfully. “They have never fully told me about who killed them. They just said that a giant did it, and that was it. No more conversations after that.”

Captain Star’s eyes narrowed a little after Stephanie explained to him, as Stephanie’s anxiety came to her, thinking that she had insulted him by telling him about the blame her foster parents told her about what had happened to her parents.

But nothing happened as she waited for the next move from him.

“That  _ does _ seem strange,” Captain Star nodded in agreement as Stephanie’s thoughts stopped. “Were your foster parents paranoid all the time?”

Stephanie did not respond after Captain Star asked, thinking to herself about everything they had said to her, even what they do to her when she makes a ‘mistake.’

“…Yes?” Stephanie slowly answered, with a tone of uncertainty in her voice. “They have been on their toes all the time.”

Stephanie moved her legs down into a criss-cross position and explained to Captain Star the confusion she had about them throughout the years living with them.

“It’s always the same when I make a mistake,” Stephanie explained to him as he listened. “I make a sound or do something productive, and they instantly go all bonkers on me as if I disturbed their peace.”

After she finished, Captain Star thought to himself as Stephanie sat there, looking confused and slightly worried.

“I see,” he nodded. “They sound like they are paranoid.”

“‘Paranoid?’” Stephanie repeated as she stood up to her feet. “My foster parents were paranoid?”

Captain Star nodded his head after Stephanie asked, explaining as he glanced away from her for a moment, “It happens to people who are not so lucky going to the Underground. Most of them go insane with being that paranoid, and others just go into hiding to get away.”

Stephanie’s thoughts about her foster parents came back to her, remembering times when they would go into her room and quietly scold her for doing something productive.

Even if she was only trying to get herself out of boredom from having to stay in her room.

She... felt like she was trapped in a cage.

A sudden shift from the chair caused Stephanie to flinch from the noise, seeing that Captain Star was standing up to his feet from sitting down.

“I’ll have a conversation with the group after work,” Captain Star explained to Stephanie as she listened. “Let me show you where you can sleep.”

Stephanie nodded her head and allowed Captain Star to move a hand down to the desk she was standing on as she stepped into his palm.

Although nervous about being handheld the entire time, Stephanie had to  _ force _ herself from being uncomfortable at the thought of it in her mind, just for the sake of it.

Once Stephanie was back in his hand, Captain Star walked into a different part of the office and showed a small, handmade bed with a blanket and a soft cushion.

“This is your bed.” Captain Star explained. “When we find the door that leads you to the Underground, we’ll part ways.”

A startled and anxious jump came from Stephanie’s heart after Captain Star explained, rethinking the line he had said.

‘Find the door that leads you to the Underground?’

Is he... going to send Stephanie back with the humans?

Instead of asking Captain Star why taking her back and asking more questions, Stephanie only said, “Thank you, Captain.”

Captain Star nodded his head after Stephanie thanked him and said, “You’re welcome. Let me or anyone else if something is troubling you.”

Stephanie nodded her head after Captain Star explained to her and watched him go back to his desk, sitting down and began writing papers and on the phone.

During that time, Stephanie thought to herself about her encounter with the giants, even the reactions to seeing her.

A bad feeling was in her stomach at the thought of that gentleman who discovered her first.

Maybe he dislikes her because of being a ‘vermin’ in the building?

So, she decided not to encounter him because of his reaction to seeing her on the counter.

But Stephanie had a plan set in mind for when nighttime comes.

Which is to escape from the problem she has gotten herself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	4. Back Into The Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie decided to get out of the Star Fleet's house... only to get into more trouble...

Stephanie patiently waited for the opportunity to escape, watching Captain Star as he busily worked on the papers and picked up the phone, answering anyone’s calls.

She knows that if he is too busy, Stephanie took this time to escape from the base before anything else happens to her.

Then, she would try to go back to her home to see if there is anything to save and scavenge for parts to survive.

Knowing that it would get her into more trouble or getting herself captured by any other giants, Stephanie decided to risk her life.

So, when the chance came, Stephanie sprung into action as carefully as she could without getting herself caught.

She landed quietly on the ground on her feet and snuck around Captain Star’s desk, pausing a few times to check if he glanced over at where she used to be or looking around.

Once Captain Star was distracted again, Stephanie snuck away from the room and entered the break room, seeing that there was no one else around to her luck.

Thinking it was easy, Stephanie sneaked over to the door that goes to the forest she had come into in the first place, pausing a little as she looked up at the doorknob.

Since she was only down to either their hips, thighs, or knees, the doorknob looked close to where Stephanie stood.

So, Stephanie lifted her arms up over her head and reached for the doorknob, taking it into her hands, and gripped it.

Using her strength, Stephanie pulled herself up and used her weight to turn the doorknob, unlocking the door with a quiet  _ click _ .

After the door was unlocked, Stephanie landed back down on the ground quietly and glanced over her shoulder to check, seeing that Captain Star had not gotten up from his chair or from his desk.

Sighing, Stephanie turned back around to the door and gripped the slit, hooking her fingers into it and using her strength to open it.

The door opened enough for her to go through it, but not enough to make it too large.

Then, she squeezed herself through the crack and back into the outside.

Once outside, Stephanie closed the door quietly with her upper body strength, as the door clicked again, locking shut.

With a relieved sigh, Stephanie turned back towards the forest and ran towards it.

She disappeared into the greenery and away from the giants to be away from them.

Stephanie continued running for a long time until she stopped for a moment to take a break, shaky by the fact she had  _ escaped _ from a giant.

But then she paused when she noticed that there was something  _ off _ about her from inside.

She felt…  _ worried and guilty. _

Was it from escaping from Captain Star and the fleet?

Or was it from breaking the rules her foster parents had given her?

Stephanie shook her head a little from the thoughts about the weird feelings she was feeling inside her, ignoring them.

Instead, she focused her mind on getting back to her now crushed home to scavenge for whatever could be in the remains.

Pushing her glasses into place with a single finger, Stephanie began her adventure through the forest, trying to jog her memory a little to see if she could find something that looked familiar to her.

But no matter where she goes, everything around her seemed to be the same and felt like going around in circles.

So, she kept stopping and thought to herself as hard as she could but ended up straining her mind from doing it.

The strained thinking and searching lasted for a few hours, making Stephanie feel more stressed and confused.

Has she been here before?

Why does everything seem so familiar to her?

Is she lost?

Stephanie groaned as she rubbed the side of her temple with a hand, feeling a migraine coming from all the stress thinking.

After stopping herself from thinking, Stephanie glanced up to the scenery to see if she was close to her home but paused a little when she finally saw something.

There was a pricker bush that looked like a  _ giant had grabbed it. _

‘That’s where Sunshine found me and tried grabbing me!’ Stephanie thought to herself with relief. ‘Then that means my home,’ she paused as she glanced around for a moment, thinking to herself before turning to the path where Ten Cents carried her while following O.J. ‘The way is there!’

She pointed in the direction and began walking, hoping to herself that the remains of her home is where she  _ hopes _ would be at.

Stephanie walked for more hours through the forest until she stopped again, taking a break from all the walking.

As she stopped, Stephanie checked her surroundings for any giants or giantesses coming towards where she was and headed in the right direction.

But then paused a little as she looked around, seeing that everything looked the same.

Stephanie’s anxiety rose into a panic state, seeing that she was lost in a sea of trees and greenery with no map of where she was going.

Her guilt came to her from leaving Captain Star’s base and the group, feeling like they  _ are _ mad at her for scaring them like that.

She took a few steps forward as she glanced around at her surroundings again to piece things together.

Trying to think of where or what Stephanie could do to make sure she was not going the wrong way until she went into something side first that was semi-soft.

Stephanie yelped a little after going into the sudden object in front of her, looking at it with confusion.

But her confusion turned to fear as she noticed it was covered in a familiar blue fabric.

She slowly glanced up to  _ who _ was standing in front of her.

Unfortunately, it was the same  _ giant who saw her in the beginning. _

The giant looked confused when he felt something bump into his leg before glancing down to what it was, seeing the  _ human _ he discovered a long time ago.

A soft, surprised expression appeared on his face when he discovered her as a worried expression appeared on hers.

She got caught by the same giant… again.

“It’s you!” he exclaimed, turning his attention towards her.

Stephanie had no time to react after noticing her but only took a step backwards to run away from him.

“Wait!” Stephanie flinched when his hand came towards her and expected him to grab her as Sunshine did before.

But his hand instead moved it behind her back, keeping her from taking the chance to run.

She felt trapped, with no chance of escaping.

Stephanie’s stomach clenched as he knelt in front of her, his light blue eyes curiously looking at her as he had his left hand placed down on the ground as a pillar.

So, Stephanie backed into his hand to make herself small as she looked scared of him.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he assured her as he curled his fingers a little to her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Stephanie’s frantic mind stopped after he said the same line Ten Cents had said to her before when she encountered him after Sunshine.

Is he… true to his word, like Ten Cents?

Stephanie only stayed silent after he assured her, watching his eyes look at every detail of her, feeling like she was being examined.

His expression changed a little when he saw her looking scared of him, as Stephanie wondered to herself about what he saw on her.

“You look lost,” he pointed out. “Did something happen?”

Again, Stephanie was silent after he asked, thinking to herself about what he would do to her if she answered his question.

So, Stephanie answered, with a shaky tone in her voice, “Y-Yes… I am lost.”

“You can talk?” he softly murmured, looking amazed at her voice.

“O-Of course,” Stephanie nodded shakily. “Not only singing, but I can also talk too. B-But that’s not the topic.”

She glanced over to the side, trying to think of a way to get away from the curious giant and find her way to her home.

“C-Can you remove your hand, please?” Stephanie stammered, glancing up at him. “I want to see if I was heading the right way to my home.”

“Oh, I know where it is,” he remarked, removing his hand from behind her. “Well, where it  _ was _ since that giant destroyed it before.”

Stephanie listened to his explanation, as her mind was repeatedly telling her to escape from him since  _ now _ she has the chance.

But… for some reason… she seemed to stay put from where she was, feeling like she would  _ trust him. _

But why?

Are giants not bone crushers and flesh-eaters?

However… this giant seemed to show  _ differently  _ from how her foster parents described them.

There were no signs or smell of blood from his hands with no stained teeth, as all of them looked normal, aside from the canines.

Are they… like humans?

Living like them and not harming others?

“Hey, are you alright?” Stephanie snapped out of her thoughts after hearing his voice, glancing up at him. “You seemed to be dazing out.”

“So-Sorry,” Stephanie apologized. “I was thinking to myself.”

The giant paused a little after Stephanie answered his question, thinking to himself for a moment as Stephanie dazed out again.

“Do you want a ride with me to get to your home?” he asked.

Stephanie snapped out of her thoughts again and glanced up at him from looking away, asking, “Wh-What?”

“A lift,” he repeated himself. “You are lost in the forest, aren’t you?”

Stephanie’s cheeks flustered a little with sheepishness, remembering her panic earlier when she saw she was lost.

However, Stephanie was not sure that he would accidentally drop her or carry her somewhere else than her home as she hoped to go to.

So, she nodded her head, responding, “Yes… I would like a lift, please.”

The giant nodded and moved his right hand towards her with his palm up, laying it flat for her to board.

So, Stephanie sat down on his palm facing him and gently wrapped her arm around his pinky for protection.

He curled his fingers a little once she had sat down in his palm and lifted her up to his height as he started to stand.

A nervous clench came from her stomach from Stephanie as she gripped her strength on his pinky a little.

But he managed to stand up without dropping her on accident, moving her towards his chest in a way to feel safe.

“You might want to climb onto my shoulder,” he explained to her. “I need both hands to move things around to get to your home.”

From the back of Stephanie’s head, a worried groan from her, but not wanting to get on his nerves to stay in his palm, Stephanie nodded her head.

Carefully, Stephanie gripped his collar with her hand and pulled herself onto his shoulder, going down on her knees.

If she stood up, Stephanie would accidentally fall off his shoulder and break a bone.

Once Stephanie was on his shoulder, she repositioned herself to be comfortable and safe, holding onto his collar from accidentally falling off.

“Are you comfortable?” the giant asked, looking over at her from the corner of his eye.

Stephanie paused a little after he asked, thinking to herself about how she is sitting on a  _ giant’s shoulder. _

Never, in her twenty years, would she ever sit on a giant’s shoulder willingly.

But here she is, sitting on one’s shoulder right now!

A quiet shudder went down Stephanie’s back from the thoughts in her mind before being snapped out of it when he started walking.

Stephanie’s grip nervously tightened on the collar as he turned around and started walking in a different direction than the one she was heading to.

Her anxiety kicked in a little from the thought of being taken somewhere other than where she wanted to go, thinking that he would take her to show his friends or at a laboratory.

But Stephanie forced the thoughts out of her mind from trying to scare her too much.

Instead, Stephanie assured herself with what he said to her earlier, just like Ten Cents.

The ride oddly felt… relaxing to Stephanie, with the gentle tremors of his feet and the gentle swaying of his body.

He was… gentle with her as if she was a friend of his.

Stephanie felt more confused about the weirdness of the giants acting around her, returning her thinking to the rules her foster parents told her for a long time.

Were they meant to be broken?

“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself,” the giant spoke, snapping Stephanie out of her thoughts. “My name is Thomas, Thomas Billinton.”

Stephanie smiled a little after Thomas introduced himself to her before answering, “My name is Stephanie, Stephanie Allen.”

“Pleased to meet you, Stephanie,” Thomas grinned, moving his right hand up for a handshake.

Instead, Stephanie took his first finger with her right hand while the other had a hold of his collar for an easier way to shake his hand.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Thomas apologized. “I forgot you are a human.”

“It’s fine,” Stephanie assured him as she released his first finger. “There’s no reason to be sheepish about it.”

Thomas chuckled after Stephanie assured him and moved his hands up to part some trees to the side a little for him to go through, blocking some for Stephanie to be safe.

Once he was through the two trees, Thomas soon reached the large space in the forest, seeing the wreckage of the remains of her home.

Stephanie’s heart sank to her stomach when she saw the wreckage of her home.

Thomas moved his hand up for her to get off his shoulder as she slid into his palm without hesitation.

He then placed his hand down on the ground and allowed Stephanie to be back on the ground, walking over to the remains of her house.

Thomas knelt a little to watch Stephanie as she looked at the wreckage, even picking up some items left inside.

“Do you know who did this?” Stephanie asked, glancing over at him.

“No, I only know that it was someone,” Thomas explained, moving a leg down to be comfortable. “Maybe one of the twits at work.”

There was a slightly angry tone in his voice after Stephanie asked, causing her to shudder without him noticing.

“What about your parents?” Thomas asked, watching Stephanie as she started to gather items. “Wouldn’t them be angry or terrified?”

Most of the items were luckily not damaged from the wreckage from the attack.

Stephanie paused a little from her scavenging and glanced over at Thomas, as she had a slightly sad expression on her face.

“I… don’t have parents anymore.” Stephanie sadly sighed. “They passed away when I was a baby, and… my foster parents died a long time ago from a disease.”

Thomas’s expression on his face looked surprised after Stephanie explained to him about her family.

“So… you’re alone?” Thomas slowly asked, moving his head to the side a little to watch her.

Stephanie nodded her head after Thomas asked, pushing her glasses into place with a finger and continuing with what she was doing.

“Yeah… I have.” Stephanie slowly nodded, picking up more items and placing them into her backpack. “Even if there are remaining humans here… I don’t think any of them survived after the Underground closed.”

She zipped her large backpack and placed it on her back, walking over to Thomas.

She was still hesitant to trust him but felt hopeless.

“Now that I have collected what is necessary,” Stephanie sighed, mostly mumbling to herself. “All I need is to find somewhere else to live.”

“You don’t know where else you can live in?” Thomas asked, sounding confused.

Stephanie flinched a little when he asked, did not think that he would overhear her mumbling.

“Nope,” Stephanie sighed as she shook her head. “This home is what my foster parents built. …Now that it has been destroyed, all that is left is the Underground or-”

Before Stephanie could finish her sentence, Thomas’s hand suddenly moved down towards her and picked her up from the ground with the fingers gently wrapped around her, causing her to panic.

“Uh, Th-Thomas?!” Stephanie fretted, feeling worried about being dropped.

Thomas stood up to his height again after picking Stephanie up, saying, “You could be roommates with me!”

Stephanie’s mind stopped after Thomas suggested to her, stammering, “‘Ro-Roommates?’”

Thomas eagerly nodded his head after Stephanie stammered.

“Yep, you can get to know all about Knapford, Drayton, and other cities!” Thomas smiled. “You don’t have to live in a stuffy ground for the rest of your life or try to search for a new home.”

Stephanie’s stomach clenched worriedly at the thought of having to live with more than one giant and giantess around her in Thomas’s room, not wanting to be stared at or be the main attraction.

But on the other hand, Thomas was right about one thing: the Underground  _ can _ be stuffy and barely allow anyone to back out once inside, and searching for a new home can be dangerous.

So, Stephanie decided to choose to live  _ with Thomas _ .

“A-Alright,” Stephanie stammered. “I’ll be roommates with you.”

Thomas smiled after Stephanie agreed with him and placed her back onto his shoulder as she gripped his collar again.

“Percy will be excited to meet you!” Thomas remarked. “He always wanted to see a human.”

‘Oh, boy.’ Stephanie groaned from the back of her mind as she had a slightly nervous expression on her face. ‘That means I get a lot of eyeballs looking at me.’

Other than dealing with other giants and giantesses, Stephanie now thought about Ten Cents and others, thinking they would panic about her missing.

A bad feeling sat in Stephanie’s stomach as Thomas headed deeper into the forest, away from the remains of her home that she once was safe inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the next chapter!


End file.
